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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · South Asian J Cancer 2021; 10(03): 144-150
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731900
Original Article: Cancer Epidemiology, Screening and diagnosis

Evaluation and Impact of ASPIRE: An Interactive Tobacco Prevention Curriculum among University Students in India

Gayatri Vishwakarma
1   Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, India
,
Sohini Singh
2   Department of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Salma K Marani
3   Youth and Family Cancer Prevention Program, University of Texas, M D Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
,
Ashish Arya
3   Youth and Family Cancer Prevention Program, University of Texas, M D Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
,
Karen Calabro
4   Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas, M D Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
,
Garima Gupta
5   Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, India
,
Anurag Mehta
5   Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, India
,
V. Alexander
6   Youth and Family Cancer Prevention Program, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
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Abstract

Online education approach provides innovative opportunities for engaging youths. Web-based, multimedia smoking prevention programs have been tested in high-income countries; however, efficacy of such programs is not well-investigated in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE), an interactive tobacco prevention curriculum, among university students in India.

A single-subject cohort study where each subject serves as their own control was conducted among university student participants engaged in ASPIRE, 60 minutes per week for five consecutive weeks during July to August of 2019. Assessments were conducted at baseline and immediately after exposure to ASPIRE. To evaluate the program, a structured instrument was specifically designed to measure the outcomes.

A total of 103 university students participated voluntarily. Average age of the participants was 18.3±0.9 ranging from 17 to 20 years. Eighteen percent of students were curious to know about the various smoking products. More males were more susceptible to cigarette smoking as compared to females. The majority of participants felt that ASPIRE was culturally appropriate for young adults in India, but a modified version targeted toward Indian youth would be more acceptable. Pre- to postintervention knowledge of tobacco-related hazards increased from 70 to 97% (p < 0.001).

ASPIRE, a multimedia interactive program, demonstrated its considerable potential to discourage smoking initiation among Indian youth.

Keywords

A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE) - curiosity - smoking - knowledge - prevention


Publication History

Article published online:
24 November 2021

© 2021. MedIntel Services Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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